Ground Rules
by Lyralocke
Summary: Kataang, oneshot. A few days before the wedding, Aang and Katara lay some ground rules in regards to children.


_I seem to remember liking this idea at some point. Ohohohoh, how long ago was that?_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar_

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"Aang?"

"Hm?"

"…We're getting married in two days."

Aang rubbed his eyes and looked over. Katara was sitting up in bed beside him, staring at her hands folded in her lap. Starlight was pouring in through the small windows in the wall of their little South Pole home. Temporary home, technically, as they were only at the South Pole for the wedding. They had been living together at the Southern Air Temple for a few years.

About an hour ago, the two of them had lied down to sleep, but it didn't seem Katara had slept at all. Aang sat up and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.

"Yeah we are," he said quietly, kissing the top of her head. "Getting cold feet?"

He tried to sound casual, but he was a little worried. She had been quiet all day, and he knew it had something to do with the wedding.

"No, no, of course not," she said quietly. He couldn't stifle a sigh of relief. "I'm just um…" She paused, chewing on her lip. "Do you… do you really want to marry me?"

Aang frowned in confusion. She sounded so hesitant, it made him worry more. He pulled her closer.

"Of course," he whispered. "Where's this coming from?"

She didn't look at him, focused on her hands. "Well it's not going to be a regular marriage, is it," she sighed, glancing away. In the starlight, he could see her cheeks turning pink. "We'll always be travelling… and there will be a lot of girls interested in you and all… the daughters of diplomats and generals…"

"Katara," he laughed lightly, leaning forward a little and trying to catch her eye. She still wouldn't look at him. "Don't be ridiculous, I love you. You're the only person in the world I would ever marry."

"Okay," she said at length, nodding. He smiled as she snuggled closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. He heard her sigh comfortably before she spoke again. "Well… we have to have children."

Aang paused. He had thought about it of course. He was the last airbender, he had to repopulate his entire race so there would be airbenders when the Avatar Cycle came back around. But the reality of it hadn't really sunk in. He was marrying Katara in two days, so…

"Oh yeah, I guess we do," he murmured, pausing again. He glanced at her, a little warily. "Is that… are you okay with that?"

It was Katara's turn to laugh a little. She linked her arm through his and leaned closer. "I would love to have children with you," she sighed, smiling. Her eyes fluttered closed and another contented sigh escaped her.

"Okay," he grinned, resting his head on hers. Children with Katara… he was surprised he hadn't thought of it more. It was a lovely thought…

"But I think… we need to make some rules," Katara said after a long, comfortable silence. "So we can keep things normal for our children, no matter how not normal we are."

"Our children," he grinned again, a funny fluttering feeling in his chest. She laughed a little.

"Yeah," she smiled, getting more comfortable at his side. "You go first."

"Okay, well…" he said thoughtfully. "I suppose we'll have to have as many children as it takes to get an airbender."

"Okay," she nodded. "But you have to promise me you'll love every single one of them, whether they're all airbenders or we only get one out of ten."

"Done," he said instantly, smiling. "Um… you can't travel with me when you're pregnant."

"Five months," she shot back instantly.

He frowned. "Three months."

"Four months."

Aang nodded after a short while of thought. "Okay, as soon as you hit your fourth month, you're grounded." He knew he wasn't going to win that one.

"I'll take it," she sighed. "Well… I don't know how the Spirit World works, but you're forbidden to offer up our firstborn in return for anything."

Aang laughed and she smiled. "Okay, I'll try to stop myself," he said with a yawn, burying his face in her hair. "Um… after we have an airbender, you have to decide when we stop having kids."

"Me?" she asked sleepily.

"You," he replied firmly. "It's your body."

"True," she yawned. "You have to… be there when I'm in labor…" She yawned again. "I don't care if you're… on the other side of the world having tea with the Fire Lord… I need you here."

"Absolutely," he sighed, closing his eyes. "You need to um… let your brother and Toph be an active part of our kids' lives, regardless of their obvious lack of… um… tact."

"That goes without saying," she murmured, already nodding off. "And you…" she trailed off for a moment. "You have to love me…" She sighed slowly. "Always…"

He yawned again. She was silent. Asleep. He smiled and closed his eyes.

"Always."


End file.
